September 14, 2003

Era of patience begins [7:38 PM]Jaguars.com reports:
'Let's not forget the roots of today's opponent. Two years ago, the Bills were a 3-13 football team. They won one home game all season; a one-point win over a 1-15 Carolina team in the gloom and doom of a Buffalo December; a loser's December. It was a season Bills fans never want to remember; one of the worst seasons in the franchise's history. But it was also one of the most important seasons in the Bills' history because it was the foundation of something that may now be on the verge of greatness.'

Buffalo 38, Jacksonville 17 [4:37 PM]AP reports:
'The Buffalo Bills showed more signs of how special this season might be. The Jacksonville Jaguars looked every bit as bad as their harshest critics could have imagined.'

Jags LB taken off on stretcher [4:32 PM]AP reports:
'Mitchell, a seventh-year veteran who joined Jacksonville this season, had feeling and movement in all his extremities, and X-rays showed no broken bones, the Jaguars said.'

This Lawyer won't compromise [9:58 AM]Buffalo News reports:
'"That's what the New England Patriots underestimated," Milloy said last week as the Buffalo Bills prepared for today's game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. "They underestimated me as a man and the things I went through. A weak person wouldn't have been able to make that decision. A weak person would have said "OK', and signed whatever they wanted you to sign. I couldn't sell my soul."'

Beware the 'Sandwich Game' [9:10 AM]Buffalo News reports:
'"It's an entirely different challenge than we had going into the Patriots game, where you're trying to account for all the different fronts," said Bills quarterback Drew Bledsoe. "These guys don't try to fool you, they just line up and say, "Here we come.' "'

Bills won't let 'letdown' enter their vocabulary [9:09 AM]Buffalo News reports:
'"It's been my experience in my time in the league that sometimes success can be as hard to deal with as failure," quarterback Drew Bledsoe said. "I've been on a couple teams in the past that started out very fast and went on and stumbled down the stretch and didn't end up tackling that early success and carrying it through the season."'

Key matchup [9:08 AM]Buffalo News reports:
'Taylor's skills as a runner are enough to keep the Bills on their toes. But with the Jaguars' receiving corps missing its best player, Jimmy Smith, Taylor could play an even bigger role in the passing game. As he showed last week, Spikes is an excellent cover linebacker with great hands and the speed to run with most backs. He's also a sure tackler in the open field. Limiting Taylor's touches will limit QB Mark Brunell's options in passing game.'

Bills have trumped foes in the free agency wars [9:06 AM]Buffalo News reports:
'The position of pro scout is undervalued by too many teams. He's the man who seldom sees his own team play since he's crisscrossing the nation watching the 31 other teams. He compiles dossiers on players who might be of interest to the Bills through trades, waivers or, most frequently, through free agency.'

New VFW post to honor Buffalo Bill killed in war [9:05 AM]Buffalo News reports:
'Buffalo Bills player James R. "Bob" Kalsu, the only U.S. professional football player to die in action in the Vietnam War, will be honored today at the opening of a new Hamburg veterans organization.'

Buffalo (1-0) at Jacksonville (0-1) [8:51 AM]Sportsticker reports:
'Jacksonville is trying to avoid its first 0-2 start since losing its first four games in its inaugural campaign in 1995.'

Bills face real dangers at Jacksonville [7:18 AM]Rochester D&C reports:
'Can they focus on the Jaguars and not look ahead to next week’s return visit to Florida to face the rival Miami Dolphins, or the week after that when the Philadelphia Eagles come to Orchard Park? We’re about to find out.'

Q&A: Sam Adams [5:30 AM]Rochester D&C reports:
'“They pay me to make sacks and tackles, not to return interceptions, but it helped the team win and that’s what’s more important. It was cool. It was fun. But it was over after I did it. We still had three quarters to play and now we face Jacksonville. It’s imperative we take another step forward.”'

Bills look to silence Alltel crowd vs. Jags [5:19 AM]Olean Times Herald reports:
'Williams, of course, knows Alltel all-too-well. As defensive coordinator for the then-Oilers, he faced the Jags in their first-ever, regular-season home game, winning 10-3.And in his subsequent trips there, Williams’ teams are 5-2, including a 13-10 victory in 2001, his first triumph as Buffalo’s head coach.'

Brunell busted? [5:18 AM]Toronto Sun reports:
'Bledsoe is sympathetic to his contemporary's plight, and figures Brunell will land on his feet. "It has been a crazy situation for him," Bledsoe said. "But I don't know if there's been a player who has been more important to his team than Mark."'

Weaver: Jaguars fans still excited [5:17 AM]Florida Times Union reports:
''He added, "It's not a lack of fan passion for the Jaguars. It's a large stadium, a small market, a tough economic environment and less disposable dollars. When you put all those things in the mix, we just have to work harder."'

Donahoe can't deflect credit for the bounce-back in Buffalo [5:16 AM]Pittsburgh Post Gazette reports:
'"The reaction's been a little bit too giddy, but that's good," Donahoe said in a telephone interview last week. "We suffered the past couple of years, and our fans deserved to be enthusiastic. We're trying to keep it in perspective on the team."'

Bledsoe says Spikes at home in Buffalo [5:15 AM]Cincinnati Enquirer reports:
'"I remember flying up with him from Atlanta - we were coming up for the first mini-camp, and somehow I got routed through Atlanta - and we were sitting there on the airplane," Bledsoe says. "He was like a kid at Christmas. He's a tremendous player, stuck in a tough situation (five years with the Bengals) for a long time, and now he's got a team, a defense around him where he can run around and make plays. I expect him to continue on and have a huge year."'

Big game upcoming for Plummer; how to attack Bills' offense [5:14 AM]Pro Football Weekly reports:
'The interior offensive line is the first area one scout said he would attack. “Ruben Brown hasn’t been Ruben Brown for more than one season,” he said. “If you have the bulk, you can push the pocket. (ORT) Mike Williams is tough to rattle out there, but I’d bring the kitchen sink at (OLG) Brown and (OLT Jonas) Jennings.”'

September 13, 2003

Coach perfects role as music man [8:56 AM]Buffalo News reports:
'Blaring loud music over big speakers on the edge of the field has become a weekly Friday tactic for coach Gregg Williams. Coaches have been doing it for years in preparation for games at particularly loud venues. But Williams began doing every week last season because it forces players to be more precise in communicating calls and in concentrating on getting the proper call.'

Morris steps up, does the job [5:36 AM]Rochester D&C reports:
'“ My approach to the game is I want to do everything I can to make myself a better ballplayer, and for two years I had a chance to learn from probably the best third-down back in history.”'

Jaguars angry over CBS decision [5:35 AM]Florida Times Union reports:
'Local CBS affiliate WTEV TV-47 learned late yesterday that the station will broadcast the Miami-New York Jets game from the CBS network at 1 p.m. tomorrow, the same time as the start of the Jaguars game with Buffalo. With more than 8,000 unsold tickets on Thursday, the league mandated that the Jaguars' home opener would be blacked out in Jacksonville and a 75-mile radius of city limits. WTEV had informed its viewers that the station would air the movie Goodfellas from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. But station general manager Susan Adams Loyd received word yesterday afternoon that the network will feed the Dolphins-Jets game to all CBS affiliates in Florida and South Georgia.'

Jaguars notebook [5:34 AM]Florida Times Union reports:
'The Jaguars announced yesterday that they sold 1,500 tickets yesterday for tomorrow's home opener against the Buffalo Bills, the day after they made it official that it'll be the first home opener in the team's history to be blacked out.'

7 Buffalo Bills Fans Back Team At Season Opening Bash [5:33 AM]Tampa Tribune reports:
'Ron VanHall, club president, said the club ``started last summer with just a few die-hard fans, Tony and Mary Lou DeMarco and Stacey Kelley. But after the local Brandon paper printed a story, the membership quickly swelled.'' There are now more than 100 members, and the club is seeking other Bills fans to join the group.'

September 12, 2003

Bills' Adams in Unfamiliar Territory [9:31 PM]Reuters reports:
'It is not often that a 335-pound defensive tackle is among the NFL's scoring leaders, but that is where the Buffalo Bills' Sam Adams finds himself as the NFL enters its second week Sunday.'